Sebastian Valerio of Beckman attemps a kick for the Patriots. PHOTO COURTESY OF STAN BRUCATO

Beckman kicker Sebastian Valerio has a vivid memory of the day when he knew that a future in football beyond high school was a realistic possibility.

It was the summer before his freshman year. The Patriots' coaching staff brought the team together during practice and asked if any of the players had a background in soccer.

Valerio, who had been playing the sport since age 5, raised his hand.

“They set up a ball on a cone and told us to try and hit a fence that was in the distance,” Valerio said. “I kicked it, and it was a pretty good kick. It hit the fence, and I thought, ‘Hey, maybe I can do this.'”

Beckman coach Glen Fisher also recalled his first time watching Valerio kick.

“With a kicker, there are guys who can kick and there are those that have a unique sound,” Fisher said. “When he hits it, it's a whole different sound; it's a thud, and when you hear that you know it's not just your average kicker.”

Valerio's original plan was to play wide receiver, but it turned out the 5-foot-10-inch, 150-pound freshman had quite the leg.

Now just one and a half seasons into his kicking career at Beckman, Valerio – a junior – is the school's record holder in field goals made, with 13 after kicking two more in Friday's game against Northwood.

Valerio continued playing soccer during his freshman year but quickly realized that his potential as a kicker on the gridiron was much brighter than his prospects on the pitch.

“I wasn't as good at soccer, and I figured I could go further and get into a nice school with kicking,” he said.

A year later, Valerio had given up soccer and was named the starting kicker of the Beckman football team as a sophomore.

He has flourished in the role, displaying poise and precision ever since.

Fisher said Valerio plays a crucial role to the Patriots' success in more ways than just scoring points.

“In a field-position type of game, he's huge for us,” Fisher said. “He can change momentum, he can change field position, he can score points and he's definitely a weapon.”

Fisher continued: “I'm a defensive-minded guy and he changes field positions and we very rarely have to start defending on the other side of the 20 (yard line).

“He has so many different kicks. He can kick the pooch, the onside kick and put one in the end zone for a touchback. He's got a very strong leg, but he also has precision. We feel confident that if we set him up for a 40-yard field goal, he's going to make it for us.”

Valerio doesn't have a special routine when it comes to kicking a field goal or game-clinching extra point, but if you watch him closely, he does a full-body shake before the kick to clear his mind.

And like most who play the position, he takes two steps back and three to left while leaving the rest to feel and technique – hips inside and the ball lined up.

“I try and not think about it a lot; just keep my head down and hit the ball and that's it,” Valerio explained. “When you kick a soccer ball you can hit it anywhere, but with a football you have to lock your leg and snap it behind the ball; it's a lot of force on the knee.”

In order to master the proper technique, Valerio has combined three different modes of practice.

In addition to time on the field with Beckman, Valerio attends the touted West Coast Kicking Academy camps every Sunday.

And while kickers aren't known for their weight-room prowess, Valerio spends just as much time lifting as his offensive and defensive teammates.

Fisher praised Valerio's work ethic and said that he's never seen a more hardworking kicker in his 25 years of coaching.

“You don't generally see the kind of commitment he has from a kicker, especially at the high school level,” Fisher said. “He works his tail off in the weight room; he's in there every second we're in there. He runs with us, does all the sprints with us and does everything that we do. He's the best all-around kicker I've had.”

Valerio said that he has seen a big difference in his kicking since putting forth a concerted effort in the weight room.

“I've gotten a lot stronger by lifting hard with them,” he said. “Now a lot of my kickoffs are 3 yards or 4 yards deep in the end zone and balls are just going farther now.”

Brad Bohn, the director of West Coast Kicking Academy, said Valerio is one of the better kickers who he is working with now.

“We usually coach the top 10 kickers in Orange County, and I'd say Sebastian is in that conversation,” Bohn said. “He works hard on his technique and has a good mindset – he never gets too high or too low. Most of those guys end up getting Division 1 scholarships.”

Valerio is still only halfway through his junior season at Beckman, and while he is undoubtedly eyeing a college scholarship, his focus as of now remains simple.

“I want to keep the trust of my teammates, not miss any field goals, keep up the touchbacks and make all of my PATs,” he said.

Like Fisher said, it's rare to find a high school kid who is as dedicated to the kicking position as Valerio is, and when you find one, it's one of the most underappreciated weapons in the sport.

And just like Valerio trusts his snapper Ryan Holton and his holder Ryan Sinkking, the Beckman team trusts Valerio, his leg and his full-bodied wiggle in any situation.

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